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In this issue... Towards Ethical Leadership
A Message from the MHI President, Teresa Carale
Feature Article
Mentoring with Murray Hill Institute
By Alice Trimmer
Women Transforming Culture: How They Do It
A Smile Can Make a Difference!
By Susan Reyes
Cultural Corner
Of Gods and Men, a Film Critique
By Martha Swanzey
News and Upcoming
Events
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Fall
2011 Newsletter
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Murray
Hill Institute Newsletter
Fall 2011
Vol. 9 No. 1
Feature Article
Mentoring with Murray Hill Institute
By Alice Trimmer
Since its founding over 10 years ago, Murray Hill Institute has had at the heart of its mission women helping women to be pro-active in bringing their unique qualities to the workplace. Central to carrying out this mission is the capability that MHI has, because of its outreach to all professions, of putting women who are just beginning their professions in touch with more experienced women who have assumed positions of leadership. Up until now, this help has been provided primarily in group settings such the Evenings of Conversation for Young Professional Women and seven conferences covering a wide range of topics. Individual mentoring has also taken place on an as-needed basis. In September 2011, Murray Hill Institute launched a new and completely re-vamped program that will partner young professional women with experienced women who exemplify the Murray Hill Institute mission. Each program year will run from October to June. The first group of mentors and mentees met at a kick-off event on September 23.
The curriculum for the new program was developed by MHI Board members Grace Perry, Corito Sevilla, and Karen Wagner. All three of these women have had extensive experience with mentoring programs in a variety of corporate settings. They have marshaled the experience, resources, and materials needed to bring best-practice mentoring to the MHI population.
As one who spent many years in a large corporate setting, I remember with gratitude sympathetic managers who helped me develop the requiste management skills to supervise large projects, and also to channel my creative energies in a way that best helped meet corporate goals. In addition, I was lucky enough to have co-workers who were always eager to share impressions of what strategies would work best to meet our deadlines and facilitate smooth personal interactions between large teams of bright, energetic, but often somewhat nervous, people in the face of demanding deadlines. But sympathetic and discreet peers and managers are not always on hand. In addition, workplace dynamics can make it awkward to discuss interpersonal challenges or a possible career move.
The Murray Hill Institute mentoring program provides a confidential setting to discuss any aspects of one’s current work life without the concern for revealing one’s vulnerabilities. Mentors and mentees will be sent written materials to facilitate discussions, and in addition, the mentors will bring their own experiences to the encounter. The program also entitles the mentee to complimentary admission to midterm and end-of-program mentor-mentee networking receptions, as well as leadership seminars and other MHI programs during the course of the mentoring year.
The curriculum for the mentoring program is centered on 10 basic skills that are needed to excel in any workplace setting. Mentors and mentees will meet 10 times, each time to discuss one aspect of the program. The first meeting will be face to face, but after that each pair will develop their own routine for meeting in person, or by phone, email, or Skype. The 10 topics are:
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Managing up
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Career development, to include resume review
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Goal setting to ensure you are getting what you want
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Self-promotion: make sure you have an elevator pitch
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Managing conflict
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Working with peers
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Leadership development
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Effective communication
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Benefits of networking
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Work-life balance: aiming to be the well-rounded woman, to include community development and other outreach programs.
The sessions will help mentees to become more pro-active in developing skills that transfer easily from one corporate culture to another and that span a wide variety of job functions. Each mentee will also be helped to become more aware of her own strengths and areas that need improvement. Such skills and insights are especially important today, with so much uncertainty still present in the job market. Women interested in becoming MHI mentors and mentees are invited to apply on-line.
Alice Trimmer is the Director of the Rosedale Center and is a member of the MHI Board.
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